The Meta Initiative
by YAY13
Summary: Everyone knows Batman doesn't like Metas. They are people with powers who don't deserve them, they show off, cause problems and they make a mess. Batman doesn't like Metas. I might had not thought this story through...
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I don't own Batman or any of the characters you recognise. I might forget to disclaim so this is to make it clear!**

**There was lots of OCs - after this I will list the main OCs so you can understand it all.**

**This is for my friends! **

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If falling from a plane is your idea of fun then if you were one of those children then you would be enjoying yourself so much you would be whooping. You would not be alone either. Four out of the six teenagers were whooping. The other two were considering what was happening with a strange sort of calmness. If you knew them well then you would know that they were used to things like this happening. Their hair whipped their faces but they all seemed to be clearly enjoying the fall. They were all close to each other, their descents all controlled. They had done things like it before lots of times. The group of teenagers had been on a Lex Corp plane until they had done their job and the plane had been subsequently blown up. It wasn't exactly their fault. An overload of the electrics had caused the plane to blow up and it wasn't like they had known a way to stop it. Now they were hurtling from the sky towards the sea below. They knew it was possible this could be the end of them all. They were in the middle of the sea, no one knowing exactly where they were. Suddenly one of the whooping children silenced. They paused for a few seconds to think and then looked at the five other teenagers tumbling from the sky.

"Grab my hands!" the figure called.

The other children reached out towards the figure and wrapped their hands around their wrists.

"Come on! I'm shifting in a few seconds!"

"Okay. That's all of us." one of the other children called.

There was a pause and then all of the children disappeared into nothingness.

"Thank you, Bruce." Barbara Gordon said as she looked at Bruce Wayne.

He was letting her stay at the manor while her father was out of town. She was sixteen and her best friend was Bruce's son, Dick Grayson. The boy was smiling as he walked into the lounge.

"How are you doing?" he asked with a casualness that only he could manage.

"Fine." Barbara replied, sweetly.

The two of them looked at each other and then glanced up at Bruce. He was their mentor but he was also the boy's father. It was awkward having him around them when they were trying to be be romantic. Bruce smiled at the two of them and then left them to it. He glanced at his watch that had a signal to show if someone was in the cave or not.

"I'm going to go down to the cave. I've got some business to do down there." Bruce reported.

Dick guessed it was one of the other heroes. He didn't mind it being one of them. He did like the league and the other heroes but Barbara was Barbara. Bruce smiled as Dick let him go without protest and left. Barbara and Dick looked at each other. They had known each other for six years, meeting a month after Dick had been orphaned. They had both been ten and Barbara had become Dick's childhood crush shortly after. It wasn't until she became Batgirl and found out she was Robin that they finally got their feelings in order.

"If he had stayed any longer, he would have driven me batty." Dick murmured.

Barbara winced at the bad pun but let a smile cross her lips. Dick, normally proud of his puns, let out a sigh and remarked that he had failed himself on that one.

"Yeah." Barbara said with a slight nod and a cheeky smile.

"Maybe I should call up the Joker for tips."

Barbara shook her head and moved closer to Dick. The boy looked at her with his blue eyes. There was a spark in those blue eyes that had always meant one thing to Barbara: life. She felt so alive when she was with Dick. Her heart raced, her mind was blown and she wished that she could freeze each moment. She had once asked Dick if he felt the same way and he had replied with a cheeky one-liner and a quick kiss on the lips.

"Dick, you do know that Alfred's probably in the cave with Bruce." Barbara pointed out, drawing herself even closer to the boy.

They would be going on patrol soon, taking in the night air together. Batman would be there, of course, but it would be magical all the same. Yet there was something in the air at that moment. The sort of magic that could only come from a powerful connection. Dick could sense it too. He was on the verge of blushing because of it.

"If Alfred is around, we'll give him a heart attack." Dick said, almost a bit unsure of himself.

Despite having feelings for Dick from the time she had found out he was Robin, Barbara had dated other boys along the way. She had been totally unaware of Dick's interest in her before and he still seemed a bit unsure how to show it. It was the cause of many break ups but now Barbara was beginning to see how unsure the sixteen year old was as yet another way it proved he wasn't from Gotham.

"There's medical equipment in the cave." Barbara said, so close to Dick that their lips were almost touching.

A shy smile breached Dick's lips and he moved closer. Then there was an explosion. Both teenagers froze, their lips hoovering millimetres away from each other. The explosion had come from below them. Dick paused and realised what was going on. He looked terrified for his father.

"The cave!" Dick shouted in horror.

Barbara watched as Dick hurried away towards the cave. She frowned and turned to follow Dick. Suddenly the boy reappeared.

"Nearly forgot." he said and kissed her on the lips.

He took Barbara's hand and rushed towards the cave.

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I hope you enjoy!


	2. Chapter 2

**I don't own BATMAN! If I did then there would be more stories from when Dick Grayson was Robin!**

Robin and Batgirl entered the cave and coughed a bit. A thick layer of smoke was hanging in the air. There were a series of coughs rising from the smoke. There was giggling coupling the coughs and a group of figures walked through the smoke, being forced forwards by Batman. Six teenagers are standing there. They were all dressed in black jumpsuits with different signs to show their individuality. The closest boy, a tall blonde boy, was wearing a black jacket. He looked at Robin and Batgirl and pulled a rather quizzical face. His confused face matched the two heroes, who seemed bewildered. Other teenagers appeared, a boy and a girl this time. They looked similar, both with about the same length hair that hoovered between a black and dark brown colour. The boy was a bit taller and was wearing a pair of shades over his eyes. The girl was wearing a blue jacket over her jumpsuit. She frowned as she turned. Batman was pushing three other children forwards. One of them was a boy. He had blonde hair was was wearing a white, karate jacket over his jumpsuit. He offered Robin and Batgirl a bow as a greeting. The final two of them were girls. The first girl was blonde and was dressed in a denim jacket.

"I'm sorry." the last girl replied but clearly didn't mean it.

She was looking defiantly at Batman with a cheeky smile. She had pure white hair that seemed to have been dyed in strands, each strand a different colour. Some of her hair had been branded and the rest curled down her back.

"You almost killed everyone!" Batman half shouted.

"Leave Rosa alone." one of the teenagers laughed.

It was the girl dressed in a blue jacket. She moved forwards and looked at Batman. The boy who looked like the girl caught her arm.

"Helena, don't do anything stupid!" the boy moaned. "Remember what happened last time."

"Who are these?" Batgirl called before a fight started.

"Role-call!" Batman bellowed.

The children darted around. Robin and Batgirl looked at each other and then watched the children. Robin was sure that the girl called Helena couldn't have got from one side of the group to the other that quickly.

"Shade." the black haired boy said, professionally. "Bob Jones."

"Mask." the tall boy smirked. "Simon Green."

"Ace." the blonde girl smiled. "Alice Summers."

"Dusk." the white haired girl managed between sniggers. "Zelania-Rose Everglade."

"Warrior." the boy in the white jacket murmured. "Tyler Parkin."

"Shift." Helena said. "Helena Jones, Bob's twin, rather awesome and..."

The girl disappeared from where she was standing. Then Robin and Batgirl felt someone leaning on them. They turned to see Helena.

"We're metas."

"Did you cause the explosion?" Batgirl asked.

She was used to Metas. She knew Batman didn't like them because they were messy and made things even harder.

"Not me." Helena said. "Rosa."

"Zelania-Rose." Zelania-Rose corrected. "I like the nickname but I let only people I trust call me."

"You can trust them. They might not look much but..." Batman said. "I trust them a lot more than I trust you."

"That hurts, Batman." Bob replied.

"It was meant to." Batman muttered. "Your team just blew up a motorbike."

"I was tinkering." Rosa said.

"Who's motorbike?" Robin asked, turning white.

"It was red and had a 'R' on the side." Simon said.

Robin ran off to mourn his motorbike. Batgirl followed him slowly. The other teenagers looked at Batman. He sighed and scanned them all.

"Bob and Rosa, stay here, the rest of you upstairs and get something to eat."

The other teenagers turned to leave the room. Bob stopped them all with a call.

"Memory stick." he said.

Everyone turned to Alice. She reached around her neck and lifted a card pendant. It was the ace of diamonds. Alice pressed her finger against the diamond and it slid open. She produced a memory stick and held it up. Bob smiled and held out his hand. Using the power of his mind, Bob brought the memory stick to his hand. Alice closed up her pendant and then went upstairs with the other.

"Is that what I sent you after?" Batman asked.

"Alfie!" came a cry.

Alfred Pennyworth turned and looked at the four approaching teenagers.

"Simon! Tyler! Alice! Helena!" Alfred called.

"How did you know it was me?" a shape-shifted Simon moaned.

He turned from the form of a middle aged man back to his normal form, even his clothes changed. He smiled at Alfred. Tyler offered his elder a nod and bowed. Alice and Helena asked 'Alfie' for a hi-five who obliged.

"With the greatest of respect masters and misses, why are you here?" Alfred asked.

"Bruce had us steal some of Luthor's evil plans. We would have come in the front door but Rosa accidentally blew up the plane and Helena teleported us to the cave." Alice replied.

"We were hurtling towards the ocean! I thought sea, sky, birds, bat, cave, Batcave!" Helena said as if it was the most logical things that had ever crossed her mind.

"Next time, Alice, can you make Helena teleport us somewhere we won't get into trouble, probably somewhere hot – like the Caribbean." Simon suggested.

Alfred knew about Alice's power. Mind control was a very strange thing for a teenager to have. She could generally get control of someone within about ten metres if they didn't have their guard up. He had never been under Alice's control but the others had described it as 'tickley'. Helena had even described it as having someone dance across your mind, tip-toeing across.

Simon looked at the butler as the man asked, "So how was your mission?"

"We were asked to steal some of Luthor's files. We blew up a plane to get them but they must be worth something for Luthor to be so worried we would get them."

"Bob told me they were plans for weapons." Helena said.

Bob, her twin, told her everything. They had been separated when they had been six. Helena had been locked up in a research lab while a group of scientists had attempted to use Bob was a weapon. When they had been reunited they had been inseparable. They had joined the team together. The whole team had been through similar things, having been taken from their families and homes and lock way in research facilities, in finding one, Batman found them all. The team formed naturally.

"Weapons for what?" Tyler asked, barely looking at the rest of the people in the room.

"Does it matter? Weapons means big boom!"

"Great description, A." Helena remarked.

"Thanks." Alice replied. "Do you think that your brother is expecting us down there?"

"Maybe you should give the big guy a little push." Simon suggested.

Alice smiled. Her eyes became cloudy. Alfred watched her.

"Are you close enough?" Helena asked.

Alice nodded and a few seconds passed. Then Dick Grayson appeared in the doorway. His blue eyes were clouded over. He seemed to search the room for a moment.

"I was sent up here to get you." Dick murmured

"Who sent you?" Helena asked.

Dick just looked confused. The other children smiled, knowing the effects of Alice's powers. As Helena teleported away, Tyler followed Dick. Simon elbowed Alice with a nod.

"I thought you were aiming for the big guy." Simon pointed out.

"Well, I caught the little guy instead." Alice said. "He had his shields down. The big guy keeps them up."

Batman looked at the teenagers as they walked in.

"I do hope Alice didn't just use her powers on my foster son." he said.

Batgirl was watching as Helena teleported around madly like some sort of super powered puppy. Rosa was playing with some sort of handmade ball of electricity. Alice was releasing Robin from her power and watch as the boy looked silently confused by them. Simon was shape-shifting into different forms, constantly changing. Tyler was mediating on the floor.

"The files are encrypted." Bob said, getting all his team's attention. "The Batcomputer is running them but it's going to take a while, probably a night. You never know."

"Where will we stay, Bob?" Simon called over, shape-shifting from Batman back into his own form.

"Places to stay are covered in expenses." Bob pointed out.

"But we're in Gotham. Teenagers in a hotel alone might as well ask the criminals to mug them. Meta teenagers in a hotel alone are just asking to be locked away and used to kill people." Batgirl pointed out.

"I'm sure Alfred would be willing to make them up beds to stay in." Robin pointed out. "If it stops them from getting killed then we should do it."

"So the crime fighters don't want us to die!" Helena gasped with mock amazement.

"Shift!" Batman barked.

"I could go and stay in any hotel in the world, B. I don't see why I should stay here."

"Because you have been offered a place here." Bob replied in a tone that resembled Batman.

He began to lead the way upstairs.

"Race you to the bedrooms!" Helena called and was gone. She reappeared seconds later. "Last one there has to tell Batman what happened to the Batmobile!"

Then Helena disappeared. Batman looked around, searching for his precious car. The rest of the team looked at each other with worried expressions and then raced upstairs apart from Rosa.

"Your car was close to the motorbike when it was blown up, there are some scratches on it." Rosa said with a shrug.

She looked around the cave.

"Aren't you going to get a bedroom?" Robin asked.

"Dusk doesn't sleep."

Robin nodded and looked at Batgirl.

"Babs, I'll walk you out." Robin murmured and led the way out.

Barbara watched as Dick opened the door. The boy looked at her and smiled, ruffling his own black hair.

"My house has been over run by super powered teenagers who get on Batman's nerves. You have no idea how long I have dreamed about this moment." Dick laughed. "I'm not sure whether I am going to enjoy it as much as I thought."

"So lets do a bit of a head count: Shift, Shade, Mask, Ace, Warrior and..."

"Dusk." Dick finished. "Shift is the teleporter. Her real name is Helena. Mask is the shape-shifter. Simon, I think his name is Simon. Ace has mind control. I think her name is..."

"It's Alice. Warrior, I don't think he even has powers but I'm not sure. I'm not sure about Shade either, I think it's some form of telekinesis. Dusk, it's clear you're going to like her. She blew up your motorbike."

"Zelania-Rose. I think I knew a Zelania once, a circus girl, not the same one because she didn't have powers." Dick said.

He scanned the dark night and sighed. Barbara looked at him.

"I'm sorry about no patrol but it's not like we can put Luthor stuff on hold."

"I get it, Dick." Barbara said, "Just make sure the manor is still standing for tomorrow."

Dick moved to kiss her but stopped and pulled back. He looked away, shy, and when he looked back, Barbara was already half-way down the driveway.

Everyone else was asleep. The manor was silence. The cave wasn't. Rosa sat there. She didn't sleep. She didn't need to or want to. She watched the computer hum away, processing Luthor's plans. She was sitting in Bruce's chair. It was too big for her and the leather had become static under her powers but other than that, she was at peace. When she heard a noise, she turned. Alfred was standing there.

"I thought you were sleeping." Rosa remarked.

"I thought you would be too." Alfred retorted, pulling up a chair and sitting next to Rosa.

The girl looked him in the eyes, letting him tell her about how sleepy he was and how annoyed he was with her team mates messing up the manor. She could see love and pity in his eyes and briefly wondered if any of the current occupants of the house were not subjects of his pity.

"I don't sleep." Rosa replied. "I don't need to."

"When was the last time you slept?" Alfred asked.

"When was the last time I was knocked out?" Rosa replied. "I don't need to sleep. I draw my energy from electrical sources. I don't like sleeping."

"Does it hurt?" Alfred asked.

Rosa looked at him confused and then let the guards slip. She managed a weak nod.

"My father was a nice man. My uncle wasn't. He hunted Metas. When I accidentally used my powers in front of him he killed my father for lying, in front of me. Every time I sleep I see it. Would you chose to torture yourself if you didn't have to? I don't have to sleep so I don't."

"Does it hurt not sleeping?" Alfred asked.

"Not as much as you would have thought." Rosa managed.

Alfred smiled weakly and then moved away. Rosa watched him go and then wiped a tear away from her cheek.

The morning brought birdsong and sun. Dick went round, waking up the Metas. He walked into the room Bob had taken as his own and found it empty. He realised Bob was in his twin's room. Objects were floating around madly and Helena was dancing between them, leaping through the air using her powers. The twins seemed to be engaged in some sort of fight or training exercise that Dick didn't want to get involved with in case they were caught. Dick shut the door silently and moved down the corridor. Alice was just leaving her room. She smiled and looked at him.

"Hi."

"Yeah, good morning." Dick said. "Your friend, Warrior, Tyler, what are his powers?"

"He hasn't got any. It's a funny story. Tyler was a black belt by the age of five. His great skills caused him to be mistaken for a Meta. He was locked up and... Bruce let him join the team."

"So he's part of the Meta Initiative but he's not a Meta?"

"Yeah." Alice confirmed as if it was the most normal thing to have happened in the world.

Dick looked at her and nodded.

"Well Alfred is making breakfast downstairs if you want to go down and get something to eat." Dick pointed out.

Alice smiled and then moved away. Dick opened the door to Simon's room and was met by his own appearance. He frowned and looked at himself. He waved one of his hands and the teenaged boy in front of him waved back. Then the boy in front of him changed into a boy in a Robin costume. Even his clothes changed. He smiled at Dick who just raised his eyebrow.

"Simon, can you change back, please?" Dick asked.

Simon changed back to his form.

"How long have you been a shape-shifter?"

"From birth."

"Then how do you know that your Simon form is your real form? You could be a girl for all you know."

"I don't know. Does it matter?" Simon asked with a shrug.

"But you could be a girl." Dick reasoned and looked straight at Simon. "I have never met a shape-shifter who hasn't been sure of their true form."

"I've never had to deal with Batman's son before." Simon replied.

Dick nodded and turned away. He had other things to get on with.

Bob and Helena teleported into the Batcave. Helena smiled at her brother and let him walk over to Batman. She stood back, scared of the figure in the shadows of the cave. She didn't mind being apart from the man and her brother. She watched them as they worked on the plans. The Batcomputer had decoded the plans and Helena watched with a bored expression. Bob's fingers raced across the computer keyboard. Batman glanced back at Helena.

"You can go and explore." Batman told Helena.

She teleported away and began to look around the cave like she always did when she was there. Bob turned to Batman and told him he was sorry for his sister. Batman sighed. When he had been younger he had longed for a sibling. He could understand the strong bond between the teenagers even if he couldn't fully understand why Helena was so easily distracted. Batman had diagnosed some form of claustrophobia brought on when Helena couldn't teleport but it didn't explain why she couldn't focus on anything that wasn't exciting.

"What do you think Luthor was planning?" Bob asked.

"Was?"

"Rosa blew up his ship. That had some great tech on."

"Is that what got you into the cave? Zelania-Rose blowing up a plane?"

"Helena did some messed up thought process like she normally does." Bob replied. "Luthor's going to be pretty angry, what with us all pulling faces at the CCTV as well."

Batman liked the Metas. Unlike most Metas, they were good agents despite their childish habits and their constant messes. They got the job done as the retrieval of the files had shown. They were also waiting around and were yet to blow anything else up. Compared to other Metas, the Meta Initiative weren't that bad.

"It's nearly done." Batman reported. "Why don't you go upstairs and get some breakfast, Roberto? I'll finish up here."

Bob smiled and called to his sister. Helena appeared near him, holding a Bat-a-rang. She looked at Batman and then at her brother.

"Lets go get some breakfast." Bob said.

Helena grabbed his shoulder and then teleported away. Batman watched them go.

The others barely looked up as Helena and Bob teleported in. Dick was sitting at the table, trying to eat his breakfast with a degree of sanity. Alice was talking to him about mind control with such an energy that she might as well have been a five year old in a play park. Tyler was doing yoga but Alfred had convinced him to come down because he needed to be with his team. Rosa was trying and failing to operate the toaster without giving it an overload. Dick had watched her closely and it seemed the girl had a little control over her powers but not as mush as the others. He guessed that, because the human body transmitted electricity, she would never really get a hang on them. Suddenly Rosa was grabbed from behind. She turned and looked at Simon who smiled at her.

"How did you sleep?" Simon asked, hugging Rosa.

Dick was surprised he had not expected them to be a couple. He watched them in wonder and then realised that their personalities seemed to fit well.

"Get a room!" Helena moaned, stealing a slice of Dick's toast as she teleported to his side and then back to her seat.

"You'll get a boyfriend eventually!" Rosa laughed back.

"Negatevo!" Helena called. "I'm never going to date. I have better things to do with my time."

"Like?" Alice asked.

"It's perfectly normal for teenagers to being to have feelings for each other." Alfred said.

Dick had a feeling that it was aimed at him. Alfred knew he was struggling to show how much he loved Barbara to her. Maybe there was a way he could show it and not get embarrassed. He would have to ask Simon. When Bruce walked into the kitchen, butter was floating around under Bob's control, getting offered to all the Metas with toast. Helena was teleporting around madly, looking for strange things to put on her toast. She finally settled on tuna and then spent time looking for a can opener. Alice and Rosa were talking about a mission they had been on with Dick while Simon listened in and Tyler did his morning exercises. Alfred seemed very flustered caught up in the middle of it all. Bruce cleared his throat and the room fell silent.

"The plans have been decoded. Luthor is building weapons."

* * *

Here is a list of the Metas:

**Roberto 'Bob' Jones - Shade - Telekinesis**

**Zelania-Rose Everglade - Dusk - Lighting/Electricity (Belongs to HallowThorn)**

**Alice Summers - Ace - Mind control (Belongs to FlyAwayGirl113)**

**Helena Jones - Shift - Teleportation**

**Tyler Parkin - Warrior - Expert martial artist**

**Simon Green - Mask - Shape-shifter**

**PLEASE REVIEW!**


	3. Chapter 3

The teenagers looked at the plans. Weapons meant to kill quickly and efficiently were drawn in white lines on computerised blue sheets. Batman had been horrified by the designs, the others had been terrified. They were to fight that man. It wasn't a thug with a handgun, it was a billionaire with weapons of mass murder.

"I don't know what Luthor intends to do with these weapons." Batman admitted. "His MO suggests he will use these against Superman but there are too many designs and many of these are designed to kill more than one person at the time. My best bet is a take over of the hero community."

The teenagers were handed copies of the weapons. Robin cast a worried eye over them while Batgirl struggled to take in the vast size of them. Tyler didn't show any emotion at them, just looked at them as if they were normal. Helena and Alice began comparing notes about the weapons, each pointing out things the other had not noticed. Batman knew that those girls often practised creating theoretical weapons. They would never make them, just consider how to. Rosa was considering the logistics of the weapons, the massive amount of power they would use. Bob and Simon just stared, weighing up the threat they were up against.

"So long as Luthor has not made any of these weapons, they are merely fantasy, useless. If he has then we need to disable them. The files suggest they have not been made and currently are less of a threat. We have a more important battle to fight."

"What do you mean?" Bob asked.

"I mean that..."

There was suddenly a shudder. Everything shook. All the teenagers got up and glanced around. They braced themselves on whatever was nearby.

"Was that an earthquake?" Batgirl asked.

Gotham was on a fault line. Earthquakes were not common but they sometimes happened.

"No, that's not an earthquake." Tyler said, simply.

"It's beginning." Batman said.

"What's happened to the sky?" the group asked, appearing on the lawns of Wayne manor.

Taking the lift would have taken too long so Helena had teleported them up. It left her feeling a bit dizzy but all the attention was on the sky. It was the morning. They had eaten their breakfast mere minutes ago. They had not been expecting it to look like that. The sky was dark, acting like a cloak. The lawns, as far as the eye could see, were shrouded with night.

"What's happening?" a different voice called.

"What's happened to the sun?"

Batman turned to the confused teenagers. They were all staring up at the sky, with nervous wonder in their eyes. He patted Helena's shoulder, getting her attention.

"What do you think it is?"

"It looks like a wall." Helena replied.

"My thoughts exactly. See where it ends."

Helena nodded and teleported away.

The teenager was shocked when she found herself get through back. Helena brushed herself down and got up slowly. There was a solid black wall in front of her. It seemed to have blocked her mid-jump, like she had really just jumped into a wall. The girl pressed her hands against the wall, hoping it was some sort of illusion. The wall was cold to the touch and felt like it was made of ice It was thick and Helena couldn't see the other side. She could remember what she was meant to see on the other side and held that in her mind. She teleported again but hit the wall once again. That time she felt a wave of sickness wash over her. She placed her hands against her temples and rubbed them gently. Normally her powers didn't work if she couldn't focus on one location. She focused on Metropolis, a high street she had been to lot simply because they made the best sweets. She could barely think. She focused on the taste and tried once again. She was thrown back that time as well.

"Okay, so I can't go through it." Helena muttered. "We're all trapped here."

She teleported back to the group.

"I can't teleport out." Helena murmured.

The others looked at her.

"What do you mean?" Bob asked.

"The wall stops me from leaving Gotham. I can't jump out of the city."

"We need to find out where the walls actually end." Batman said. "Which of you can drive?"

The teenagers glanced between each other. They slowly raised their hands with cheeky smiles. Batman scanned them. He knew for a fact that only two members of the Meta Initiative would drive properly.

"Put your hand down if you're lying."

Simon, Helena, Rosa, Alice and Batgirl put down their hands. Batman smiled and looked at the three remaining boys.

"You three, drive round the city and see where the wall ends, Helena, take Batgirl to the police station and look for the commissioner. Simon, Alice, Rosa, get into the cave so we can work out what on Earth we are meant to do about this."

Robin, Tyler and Bob had taken the cars. Robin was on his back up motorbike. Over the comms he grumbled about how much he loved his other one, unaware that Tyler, who was in the Batmoblie, and Bob, who was on the Batcycle, had their comms switched off. They was driving around Gotham, following the thick black wall. There was no breaks or holes in the wall. Every so often a car or a building would be cut in half by the wall. It was a strange sight, almost as if the wall had just been dropped onto the edge. None of the boys even dared to consider what had happened to the people who had been standing part way into the wall; they were only thankful they hadn't come across any. Suddenly Robin began to wave his hands around madly, looking like he had snapped. The boys pulled their vehicles to stops beside him and Robin walked over. He took off his helmet and Bob did the same. "Why did you turn off the comms?" he fumed. "Because you were talking about something you know full well that Rosa can't control." Bob replied.

"I didn't even know you lot before last night."

"Then maybe we should make some introductions." Bob said. "Me and my team make up the MI – the Meta Initiative. Your father rescued us from a research facility where we were being held and forced to use our powers as slaves. He realised that our powers could be used to help people and that we were desperate to prove we weren't monsters."

There was anger in the boy's tone. His friends had been challenged. Rosa couldn't control her powers. Human bodies conducted electricity so she had a perfectly good reason not to. For a time even he had been unable to control his imagination. While Bruce's training had helped most of the group, Rosa seemed to be a bit behind.

"Clearly he's ashamed of you. He tells me everything." Robin retorted.

"Clearly not. You know what, let's settle this. We'll have a race. If I win the race then you have to back off and let us help. If I lose the race then you can picked which, if any, members of the MI you want working with Batman and you." Bob said.

Robin had not wanted to get the boy so angry. He had simply wanted an apology for his bike. He had ridden that motorbike through thick and thin and kept it in very good condition. He had been proud of that. He felt angry towards the group. He too had been rescued by Batman, he too had been

trained by him. He didn't want other people muscling in. He wasn't about to back down from the challenge.

"Okay, where to?"

Batgirl looked around the police station. It was empty. She guessed that officers would be outsider looking at wall but she had not been expecting or prepared for the police station to be like a ghost town. Helena was by her side. "By the way, it's Shift in the field." Shift pointed out.

She was standing by Batgirl's side, eyeing the scene carefully. It seemed so quiet, so quiet it was wrong. There were no sounds.

"Do you want to check it out outside?" Shift asked, about to teleport.

Batgirl nodded but declined the offer of teleportation. It wasn't that it was enjoyable. It was like wind could rush through you and not into you. It was a strange, heavenly, sensation and Batgirl enjoyed it but she wanted to walk.

"We might find someone if we walk." Batgirl said.

"Or someone might find us." Shift countered.

"Someone like me, perhaps?" a voice behind the two girls asked.

Batgirl and Shift turned and gasped.

"Still do want me to teleport us out of here?" Shift managed.

Robin was winning the race. Of course he was. He knew the streets of Gotham better than Bob. He knew he could win the race. It was just a matter of time. He knew he was going to win. He glanced back at Bob and knew that the boy was gaining on him. He knew he needed to win. Then he saw something out of the corner of his eye. He gasped and looked back to get a better look. He recognised the figure but they were gone after a second.

"Robin!"

He heard a shout over the comms. He looked over at Bob and then his eyes settled on the wall. He had missed the turning and was heading straight towards the wall.

**Sorry it's late. I've been really busy! Enjoy!**


	4. Chapter 4

Batman looked at Alice, Simon and Rosa. He had a grave air about his as if he wasn't sure what he was meant to do any more.

"There seems to have been a break out at Arkham." he reported. "Poison Ivy is fighting Batman and Robin isn't answering his radio."

"Okay, what are we going to do?" Alice asked, taking everything in. "We better go help them." Rosa pointed out.

Simon smiled at Rosa and they both looked at Batman.

"The boys took the cars and Shift is with Batgirl." Batman pointed out. "We'll have to take the Bat quad-bikes. Two per bike."

Rosa and Simon looked at each other with smiles.

"I'm guessing we're sharing." Alice said with a smile towards Batman.

"Idiot!" Shift finished saying as she teleported back into police headquarters.

She looked at Batgirl who was pinned against the wall by vines and only just glanced at Poison Ivy in time to dodge a blow from a vine. Shift threw herself backwards and looked at Batgirl. Shift grabbed a set of papers from a desk near her. She threw them between her and Poison Ivy, letting them act as a shield to stop the villainess from attacking them. When the papers cleared, Shift wasn't where she was originally. She was using a bat-a-rang from Batgirl's belt to cut the vines. The vines didn't cut easily but a watery green gunk was dripping down the girl's hands, showing she was managing it. Poison Ivy screamed in rage and threw a series of vines at Shift. The girl teleported out of the way of a few but then stopped. She was sure she had heard a familiar voice in the building. It was her pause that gave Ivy time to hit her. She was thrown to the floor. Poison Ivy scanned the two of the girls with a cruel smile. She turned to Shift with curiosity in her eyes.

"Who are you?" Ivy asked.

"Shift!" Ace called as she ran into the room. (Alice is Ace when she is fighting crime!)

Ace and Batman raced into the room. They both looked at Poison Ivy in horror. Their close friends were in danger.

"Shift, why don't you teleport away?" Batman asked as he leapt towards Poison Ivy.

The woman moved out of the way. The man continued to fight her. The vines restraining Batgirl tightened and Shift teleported away to Ace's side.

"Ace, why don't you just... Um...?"

Shift didn't want to give it away. Ace's powers needed an element of surprise to work when Ace couldn't completely focus. A fight ground is not an easy place to focus.

"Working on it!" Ace called.

Shift teleported out of the way of a vine and swung round it, going towards Poison Ivy. Suddenly Ivy stopped aiming vines at them and let Batgirl drop to the floor.

"What's happened?" Batgirl asked.

Batman nodded towards Ace to acknowledge her use of powers.

"Ace used her powers." Shift explained. "Mind control is rather useful."

"More useful than teleporting." Batgirl said.

"Speaking of teleporting, Robin just crashed his motorbike. He can't blame me because I was saving his life so..." Shift smirked.

"Ace, get her to answer our questions." Batman ordered.

"Okay." Ace replied.

She put her powers to on Poison Ivy again and the woman stood still, standing up straight.

"How did you get out of Arkham?" Batman growled.

"Someone planted bombs around the cells. Everyone from Arkham escaped."

Robin glanced back at Warrior and Shade as they began to set their plan into action. Shade was going to tackle Two-Face from behind and Warrior was going to take him from the side. Robin had taken the honour of fighting the criminal from the front not that he saw it as much as of an honour. Robin gave them both a small nod to tell them that they needed to start. Robin started walking towards Two-Face, pretending he didn't know the criminal was there. He needed to distract Two-Face from the other two. He could hear his footsteps echoing round in the night. He moved forwards and felt a hand grip his shoulder. He turned and faked shock.

"Two-Face!"

"Hello, Robin." Two-Face smirked.

He pointed a gun at the boy's forehead and produced his coin. Robin knew he couldn't make a move with the gun pressed against his forehead. He needed to use the element of surprise and Two-Face was going to give Shade and Warrior a few seconds to gain that element. The coin was flipped. Robin watched as Shade emerged from the shadows behind Two-Face. The metal disk turned in the air and Two-Face put his palm out to catch the coin. He waited. It didn't drop. Robin was smiling up at the air near Two-Face's head. The criminal looked to his side. The coin had stopped mid-air, on its side. It looked impossible but Robin knew that Shade was using his powers to keep he coin from dropping. Robin was about to move away from the gun when Warrior slammed into Two-Face, knocking the criminal to the ground. Warrior pulled Two-Face in to a hold as the man stared mystified at the coin.

"What are you meant to do with that?" Robin asked, teasingly.

Shade walked over and let the coin drop into his hand.

"It clearly likes me a lot more than it likes you." Shade smiled, tucking the coin into his pocket.

"What are we meant to do with the criminal?" Warrior asked.

"Hand him to me." a gruff voice said.

"Why would we do that?" Robin asked, dropping into a defensive position.

Everyone turned to look at a figure emerging from the shadows.

"Because I'm Batman!"

Robin looked at Batman with smile.

"Shade was pretty impressive back there." Robin remarked.

Suddenly Rosa rushed out of the shadows. She leapt up and kissed Batman on the cheek.

"Whoa! Um... What on earth are you doing, Dusk?" Shade asked. (Rosa's crime fighting name is Dusk)

"What? You actually believed that Mask was Batman?" Rosa laughed. (Simon's crime fighting name is Mask)

Batman's shape changed until it was Mask standing in front of the teenagers.

"We'll drop Two-Face off at the police station and then return to the cave." Robin said.

Mask and Dusk smiled at each other.

"We'll take the quad bike." Dusk announced and took Mask's hand.

The two wondered off and then, as the three boys were making their way to their vehicles with Two-Face, they pulled their quadbike up in front of them. Dusk was sitting on the back, while Mask drove. Dusk has her head resting against Mask's back and her hands wrapped round his waist.

"I thought we decided that Dusk was better than you at driving." Warrior reasoned.

"She drove on the way here, I'm driving on the way back." Mask smiled.

Shift and Ace were locking Poison Ivy up in the holding cells, leaving the two Bats in their battle ground. Batgirl turned to Batman.

"Is it a bad thing that I can't find my dad?" Batgirl asked.

"We'll call him after we've found Robin and the others." Batman said.

Batman needed the boys to report back so he could work out what seemed to have closed off the city. He looked at Batgirl and could tell she was worried.

"Your dad will be fine." Batman assured her.

Batgirl just wanted to change the subject. She decided that she needed to get answers to her questions to get her mind off the topic.

"Who are the Meta Initiative?" Batgirl asked.

"All of the children, even Warrior, who hasn't got powers, were kidnapped from their homes by people who have certain prejudges against Metas. They were wanted for their powers. I was investigating a series of robberies involving enslaved Metas when I met Shade. People were trying to weaponise his powers."

It was clear to Batgirl that the memories were hard for Batman. Labs that created weapons were bad enough in her experience but labs that took living, breathing humans and attempted to turn them into weapons...

"I rescued him and he refused to leave without Shift. She had been locked up with the rest of the group for experimentation. I let them out and they wanted to rescue all the other Metas. I let them and realised how talented they all were. I offered them protection and training in return for them using their powers for good."

"Because they would be great criminals?"

"They would change the face of crime. Shift, Mask and Ace would make great thieves. A teleporter, a shape shifter, a mind controller? Who would be able to stop them if they acted alone, let alone together? Then there is Warrior: an assassin if ever there was one. He doesn't even have powers. I hate to say it but in a fight between him and Robin, I wouldn't back Robin. Dusk could do practically anything in a world like this. We use electricity everyday. Shade once told me that Dusk is getting close to being able to transmit herself through electrical appliances. Shade himself? No one knows the limits of his powers, how much he can lift and move with his mind."

"So these six kids, they could take control of the planet." Batgirl exclaimed.

"In theory, yes." Batman admitted.

"That's awesome!" Shift exclaimed as she walked into the room.

Ace just looked deep in thought.


	5. Chapter 5

The boys had shown up with their prisoner, proud they had captured him. They had locked him in the cells of the police station and then called a meeting in the main room. The fight against Poison Ivy had left furniture upturned and punch holes in the walls but the heroes had made no effort to tidy up. They just perched on whatever surface the furniture had facing upwards. Shade, Shift and Ace were sitting on a desk which seemed to be the only piece of furniture that was the right way up. Batman was standing up, surveying the teenagers. Dusk and Mask were sitting together on a cupboard. Mask had his arm around his girlfriend. Robin, Batgirl and Warrior were sitting on a filing cabinet.

"We need to find the police. If all of Arkham's inmates have escaped, we need some back up." Shade thought out loud.

"It's not like we're getting any back up from anywhere else." Shift moaned.

Everyone could tell that she was upset by the wall that stopped her from leaving Gotham. It wasn't that she wanted to leave, she loved the adventure that they all knew was right around the corner, but she had never liked staying in one city for longer than she needed and didn't like the idea of being trapped anywhere that wasn't a space the size of Earth.

"And, no, shape-shifting into anyone in the police doesn't count, Mask." Dusk answered before her boyfriend had chance to ask the question.

Mask smiled and pulled Dusk closer, kissing her forehead.

"We need to find the police, contact them." Batman told the teenagers. "But first we need to regroup, work out what we're meant to do. The police wouldn't just disappear and I'm right in thinking none of us saw any police on the way over. If someone is hunting down the legal services, then it might be best that we have had chance to work out what our plan is."

The MI managed to hide their excitement about being in the cave again. Just long enough to get them all sat around a board table without them doing something childish.

"I think it's safe to say that Luthor is behind this." Shade said.

"We have one advantage over Luthor that he doesn't have." Batman said, bring up a picture on the screen.

The teenagers all studied the picture. It had been taken at an awards ceremony and showed a bald man surrounded by other rich people. The other rich people had had their faces distorted, however, to make it easier for the MI to tell who it was.

"We're young?" Dusk suggested, attempting to guess the advantage.

"We're not boring?" Ace tried.

"We all have full heads of hair?" Shift giggled. "I have too much hair. He can have some of mine if he's so angry about it. It might stop him from being so moody."

"It is our sheer numbers. There are more than one of us." Batman said.

"We could always shave your head and give him your hair. You wear a cowl, no one would notice." Shift pointed out with a smirk.

"And I could shape shift into you and pretend to be Bruce Wayne until your hair grows back." Mask suggested, as if the plan was going to go ahead. "I wouldn't mind living life as a millionaire."

"Billionaire." Robin corrected.

"Same difference." Mask said.

"Not really." Robin pointed out.

"Back to business." Batman said, sensing a fight was about to break out. "We can fight Luthor with our sheer numbers."

Suddenly the screen began to jump and flicker. Everyone looked at Dusk who frowned and tried to control her powers again.

"Sorry." she said.

"Wait!" Shade called. "Stay on that program."

Dusk concentrated and CCTV footage showed up. It was footage of several people getting dragged into vans.

"What's going on there?" Warrior asked.

"I believe a kidnapping or..."

"That's happening now, right? Where?"

"I'll bring up the co-ordinates." Batman said.

Once they were on screen, he turned to the teenagers.

"Get out there and protect them." Batman said. "And expect the unexpected, we never know what Luthor might try to pull."

All of the teenagers darted off apart from Ace who looked at Batman with a frown.

"Doesn't expecting the unexpected make the unexpected expected? And if so, what's the point of expecting the unexpected when you're just making it expected?" she asked and then raced off with the other teenagers.

Batman paused for a few seconds to think it over and then gave up and ran off to join them.


End file.
